Wyoming SBA to Celebrate Small Business Saturday, Provide Update on Community Navigator Pilot Program

News Release from the U.S. Small Business Administration Wyoming District Office

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Wyoming District Office and the Wyoming Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Network have partnered to host a free virtual event on Nov. 23, 2021 from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. MT. The event will serve as a reminder for Wyomingites to participate in Small Business Saturday on Nov. 27 –  a day to celebrate and support small businesses by shopping local. It will also feature an overview of the brand-new Community Navigator Pilot Program and the annual Lender Awards Ceremony, designed to highlight Wyoming’s top performing SBA lenders.

The Community Navigator Pilot Program is an American Rescue Plan initiative designed to reduce barriers that underrepresented and underserved entrepreneurs often face in accessing the programs they need to recover, grow, or start their businesses. The Wyoming SBDC Network will spearhead this program in Wyoming, and attendees will get the chance to hear from Jill Kline, Wyoming SBDC Network State Director, as well as other representatives from participating organizations.

SBA Wyoming District Office Director Amy Lea will present the following awards during the event:

• Wyoming Lender of the Year
• Wyoming Rural Lender of the Year
• Wyoming 504 CDC Lender of the Year

“The SBA Wyoming District Office and our resource partners remain committed to helping our state’s small business – including those in rural or otherwise underserved markets – start, grow, expand and recover. The Community Navigator Pilot Program will provide another avenue by which we can provide targeted assistance to those who need it most, and we’re excited to provide a first look at this program,” said Lea. “We’re also excited to highlight the importance of shopping small this holiday season and recognizing the participating lenders that have been so instrumental in providing Wyoming’s small businesses with much-needed capital.”

This free event will be open to the public. Those interested in attending can register by visiting: smallbizsaturday_wyoming.eventbrite.com. For more information about Small Business Saturday, please visit sba.gov/about-sba/organization/sba-initiatives/small-business-saturday .

*Registrants will receive a personal Microsoft Teams meeting link via the email address used to register. The link will work the day and time of the event. Microsoft Teams is free, and more information about the platform – including user & download instructions – can be found at: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-teams/download-app